Consider spending a little more and getting something something like the prime weld cut 60

 

The cut 60 is out of my price range but the cut 50 is right there.

 

Sorry, using a new to me device, went back to the phone here. The primeweld machines are backed with very good customer support and warranty. I'm not sure on price ( not my job to price check) but many people have stated it's a very good bargain. I personally don't own a primeweld plasma but own a mig 285 and a 225 tig machine, and couldn't be happier with either one.

 

I would rather do without a plasma for a while rather than get a ( very well possible) POS unit. Not that the primeweld is a top tier unit like a hypertherm but it should be fairly high quality. Having a REAL 3 year warranty is also something. If that machine were to fail after the 3 year mark, it would have cost between 50 and 60 cents a day to own, pretty reasonable to me.

 

The prime weld cut50 will handle my needs, fits my price range and comes from a reputable company. I haven't done any serious fab work in over 20 years. When I bought my little 3 in one machine I caught some flak bht it's been a great machine, sure it's nice to follow the "buy once, cry once theory, but at what cost, I could replace my little machine 4 to 6 times for the price of a red one or blue one, I've been usig that welder for 5 or 6 years and it's been great and has features found on higher end machines. I'm retired with back problems and don't need professional grade tools, I try to educate myself and shop for value.

 

I really love the "Pete's Tools" videos on YouTube,, he has dozens of plasma cutter videos, and all are fun.
He almost exclusively does plasma cutter videos,, and a lot of the basics are explained,, (some of the basics are skipped over)

He sticks with the $200ish price machines. In a couple videos, he REALLY thrashes a few machines,,
so, it seems not all cheapo machines are the same>???`~`

 

I bought the LOTOS LTP5000D from Amazon in May of '23.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052OX876/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I have been quite pleased so far. I have yet to achieve a cut that does not require grinding to clean up the far side, but I am getting better. I did the first nozzle/electrode change last weekend while cutting cancer out of the frame on a '97 Wrangler. That job used to be a real trial, using four different grinders due to reach issues. Now it's ten minutes and I'm fitting a cardboard template to cut the patch plate.

I do find it annoying that the ceramic cup barely engages it's locating threads. I also don't love the two leg style of stand off guide, think I would prefer one of the wire style.

I made a circle jig for it, which greatly simplified my compressor aftercooler project.

All in all, at my hobbyist level usage I am pretty happy.

Cheers, Alan

 

Back about three years ago I also wanted a plasma cutter and I mentioned it on this site. I had in mind the Lotos 50 amp LTP5000D. All I got was a lot of harassment telling me to buy other plasma cutters that were out of my price range. Well the Lotos has been working great. I have not had any problems. I purchased a one year warranty when I bought it from Home Depo.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/26pc-Tip...Consumable-LTP5000D-LTPDC2000-LTPAC2500-NozzleFor-Lotos/2196427415?from=/search

 

https://www.amazon.com/CUT-50HF-Non...BhBvEiwA6e-WPMv8j9_aAY8CpdHOEvh07AjtSJv-GFNCu1JKyemx8aKxyVsOHw6tqhoC3d0QAvD_BwE

I've been very happy with this machine. Has an internal filter/regulator that you can access through the side panel. It's dual voltage, HF start pilot arc... I'd buy it again. Looks like they have a new torch out that'll fit that machine. Different consumable setup. I might pick one up. https://www.amicoelectric.com/produ...et-pilot-arc-plasma-cutter-torch-use-for-apc-40hf-50hf-60hf-70hf-cut-50hf-60hf/

 

I've been using the Vevor Cut 50 for about a year and a half and so far it's done well if you're staying under 1/2". Decent consumables are cheap like borscht and the whole machine is cheaper than a year's rental for my O/A cylinders. The reason I started buying Vevor is because they have a Canadian distribution point in Ont. so I can get free shipping without all the hassles at the border. There's lots of similar machines out there, and if it blew up tomorrow I'd replace it in a heartbeat for less than $400 Cdn. If I was going to buy another one tomorrow, it would probably be an Amico 70 amp to get me over 1" clean cut. Even with that I'd keep a cheapy around for dragging around in the mud and cutting thin junk. The Chinesium seems to be getting more dependable as North Americans are less afraid to return the junk they don't like.

 

Good point regarding returns. With companies like Amazon/Prime making returns so easy...

 

I decided with my health issues that maybe there were other things that made more sense, so I took the money I was going to spend on a plasma and put it with the money I had for buying the wife a new gun. She had been wanting a .22 rifle, so I ordered 2 new RUGER 10-22's, I think guns & ammo are as good as gold 0in these days. also ordered 4 high capacity magazines. My gun dealer is a good friend and the wife was VERY specific about having a laser on it, so she got a factory fresh gun that has a laser, the laser has been discontinued, and I figure if I want a laser I'll just buy one.

 

I have a Leupold 6-24X 50mm scope on my 10-22,, but, that is how I roll,,
I like being able to shoot acorns at 100 yards,, that gun, on a rest, does that, as long as you want to pull the trigger.


We have a black walnut tree at about 115 yards,, those hulled nuts (on the ground) are so big, they are no fun to shoot.

 

Buy my wife a gun??? No f'n way... if she wants me gone she's going to have to poison the chicken soup the old fashioned way. In the meantime, I'll keep buying toys...

 

Plus, the guys here are helping set her up with a scope like the Leupold 6-24X 50mm, just to make sure she dos not miss. This site is always so helpful on everything..:cool2:

 

My wife doesn't need 5 guns... she cooks. Besides, lasers are just cheating. If you can't hit an animal with peep sites, the animal wins...

 

I see it's been several weeks since this was active. I have the Primeweld CUT50 and am very happy with it. My son also has the 225 for TIG and he's very pleased with that unit.

 

I would definitely try out the PrimeWeld plasma cutters after seeing the support they give for welders.

 

These low buck plasma cutters are all over like flies on a pile of horse poop. Watch one video on YouTube and the next thing you know a whole bunch of videos pop up. Seems like the sellers send these things out to YouTube people and they in return produce a video favorable to the product.
Here is one that littered my screen recently: https://www.amazon.com/bestarc-BTC5...y=9003368&hvtargid=pla-2186646224609&mcid=7c79ea14f6603b718ffd1a25ba990338&th=1
WTF are you going to get for $200? When I looked on Amazon a window popped up from some site I never heard of offering the same for about $100!
Maybe if they send it to me for zoo I'll try it.

 

The LOTOS 50A plasma cutter with a 4.5-star rating seems like a good budget-friendly option under $400 to consider. Key features to look for are dual voltage, pilot arc start, and 1/2" cut capacity.


As for laser cutting machines, you may also want to look into SLTL's offerings, as they provide some affordable desktop laser engravers and cutters, though the work envelope is typically smaller compared to plasma cutters. Let me know if you need any other recommendations.